Sanford and Hicks go to Congress, The CIA goes to Hollywood and CNN stays put

Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has been elected to the House (or at least that's where we hear he's going). Welcome to your trends report for Monday, May 8, 2013.

Sanford will head to Capitol Hill after facing off against Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of the late-night satirist Stephen Colbert. Republicans will hold 233 of the House's 435 seats when Sanford is sworn in, probably this week.

Another trip to the House comes today, when former diplomat Gregory Hicks is scheduled to testify about the Benghazi attacks last year. Hicks has questioned why more force was not used in responding to the attacks, which killed four Americans.

Such gung-ho stances toward military action are rather stylish these days, and according to a Monday Gawker post that continues to get online attention, the CIA has officially admitted to a role in shaping that attitude. The agency had several conversations with one of the creators of the film "Zero Dark Thirty," changing key scenes, according to documents posted on the site.

And finally, in a substantially less skillful bit of illusion, CNN's parent company has been caught setting up a remote interview between two reporters in the same parking lot.

So how do you know the list below is actually what's popular this morning? You'll just have to trust us.

Mark Sanford(Google web search, Twitter)Two years after Mark Sanford left the South Carolina governor's office tarred by an adultery scandal, he has completed an unlikely political comeback to win a special congressional election, holding the seat for Republicans.[The Baltimore Sun]

#Benghazi(Twitter)A former U.S. diplomat in Libya who says more could have been done to protect Americans at the U.S. mission in Benghazi when it was attacked last September will be a featured witness on Wednesday during a congressional hearing.[The Baltimore Sun]

Zero Dark Thirty(Digg)Kathryn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden revenge-porn flick Zero Dark Thirty was the biggest publicity coup for the CIA this century outside of the actual killing of Osama bin Laden. But the extent to which the CIA shaped the film has remained unclear. Now [as of Monday], a memo obtained by Gawker shows that the CIA actively, and apparently successfully, pressured Mark Boal to remove scenes that made them look bad from the Zero Dark Thirty script.[Gawker]

CNN(Reddit)In a bizarre television and spatial anomaly on CNN this morning, the blanket coverage of two true-crime stories led two news anchors to conduct an odd "satellite" interview from the very same parking lot, background traffic and all.[The Atlantic]

Sir Alex, David Moyes, Mann UTD(Twitter)Manchester United's landscape - and that of British football - changed forever just after 9am on Wednesday, 8 May 2013. This was when the domestic game's towering figure called time on the successes, trials and tribulations of 26 years at Old Trafford. Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson announced his retirement. [BBC]

Valentina(Twitter)Forget what you’ve heard: Oxygen Network has the ratchet quota on reality TV on lock.[24hourHipHop.com]

George KarlAfter a 57-25 season that saw his team finish third in the Western Conference, Karl was finally named NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced.[Bleacher Report]

Ray Harryhausen(Google web search)In 1933, the 13-year-old Ray Harryhausen saw King Kong at the cinema and was hooked – not only by Kong, who was clearly not just a man in a gorilla suit, but also by the dinosaurs. He came out of the theatre "stunned and haunted. They looked absolutely lifelike … I wanted to know how it was done." It was done by using stop-motion animation: jointed models filmed one frame at a time to simulate movement. Harryhausen, who has died aged 92, was to become the prime exponent of the technique and its combination with live action.[The Guardian]

Knicks(Google web search)After struggling against the Indiana Pacers' formidable defense in the opener of their playoff series, the New York Knicks got even by beating their opponent at their own game.[The Baltimore Sun]

Saul Bass(Google web search, Twitter)Today, Google outdoes itself. Its video Doodle is sublime, and Bass is boss. Wednesday’s 81-second tribute clip to late graphic designer and film artist Saul Bass — to celebrate what would have been his 93rd birthday — is a cool and precise aesthetic pleasure.[The Washington Post]

Tim Lambesis(Google web search)Tim Lambesis, lead singer of the Grammy-nominated, Christian heavy metal band As I Lay Dying, has been arrested for allegedly trying to hire someone to kill his estranged wife, officials said Tuesday.[Today Show]

Michelle Knight, Charles Ramsey(Google web search, Twitter)A day after authorities arrested Ariel, Onil and Pedro Castro in the kidnappings of Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry, a troubling portrait is emerging of the men. The men, reared in a strict family, have been accused in one of the most heinous crimes in the city's history. [The Cleveland Plain Dealer]

JA Happ(Google web search)The Blue Jays were still waiting for word on the condition of left-handed pitcher J.A. Happ, who was struck on the left side of the head in the second inning on Tuesday by a line drive from Rays center fielder Desmond Jennings.[The Baltimore Sun]